Mothers' Experiences of Intrauterine Fetal Death (IUFD) at Eduardo Ximenes Regional Hospital (Horex), Baucau, Timor-Leste: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23917/bik.v19i2.15917Keywords:
intrauterine fetal death, live experience, bereavement, social support, spiritual coping, Timor-LesteAbstract
In 2023, almost two million babies were stillborn at or after 28 weeks of gestation worldwide, equivalent to 14 stillbirths per 1,000 total births. Timor-Leste reported a stillbirth rate of 14.38 per 1,000 total births in 2021, and Eduardo Ximenes Regional Hospital recorded 41 IUFD cases between January and August 2024. Despite this burden, mothers’ lived experiences after IUFD in Timor-Leste remain insufficiently documented. To explore mothers’ psychological, social, relational, spiritual, and meaning-making experiences, coping strategies, and support needs following IUFD in Timor-Leste. A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted at Eduardo Ximenes Regional Hospital, Baucau, in May 2025. Fifteen mothers who had experienced IUFD within the previous three months were recruited purposively. Data were generated through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step phenomenological method. Five themes were identified: emotional shock and embodied grief; social support, stigma, and relational change; spiritual struggle and faith-based coping; continuing motherhood through memories and symbolic bonds; and reconstructing the loss through warning signs, bodily reactions, and self-blame. Grief was non-linear and was intensified or eased by the degree to which families, communities, partners, religious networks, and healthcare providers acknowledged the mother’s loss. Post-IUFD care should combine grief-sensitive communication, psychosocial assessment and counseling, postpartum and lactation support, culturally appropriate spiritual care, family involvement, and structured follow-up. Healthcare services should also address stigma and provide clear, non-blaming explanations about fetal death and pregnancy danger signs
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